Child

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT CHILD - PAGE 3

-- Don't rush to judgment. Leaving a child alone isn't considered child abuse. -- The child should have a plan that includes emergency contacts, food and safety procedures. -- Check with other neighbors to see if they are concerned. -- Offer to occasionally be a resource to the family by watching the child or providing transportation. -- Don't try to get information from the child. Talk to the parents. -- If you feel the child is in jeopardy it is your obligation to make a call to child and youth services.

Bethlehem police have charged a 22-year-old man with sexually assaulting a child. Joshua Luis Roman of Easton was charged Wednesday with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child, corruption of minors, aggravated indecent assault of a child under age 13, indecent assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Roman was sent to Northampton County Prison under $75,000 bail. Police said the sexual assault happened Dec. 1. — Pamela Lehman

An Allentown man pleaded no contest Friday to raping a child in 2006 in Allentown. By pleading no contest, David Richard Rothrock, 45, isn't admitting guilt, but acknowledges that prosecutors could prove him guilty. The plea carries the same weight as a guilty plea and Rothrock faces up to 20 years in state prison. He's scheduled to be sentenced in March by Lehigh County Judge James T. Anthony. According to court records, Rothrock has undergone several mental health evaluations since his arrest in 2009 and has been housed in Norristown State Hospital, which treats inmates with psychological and psychiatric issues.

A Delaware Water Gap man is wanted by authorities for allegedly downloading and trading pictures of child pornography, the Monroe County detectives said Tuesday. James Lamb, 54, of 36 Main St., was investigated after his wife discovered child pornography on his computer and detectives Saturday seized his computer, the detectives said. Lamb may have fled the area for fear of arrest, officials said. He had downloaded 86 images and one video of child pornography, and he had traded child porn through instant-messaging software, detectives said.

A 20-year-old man was charged with downloading child pornography from his Allentown home this year, according to court records. Pedro A. Zambrano, of 500 block of E. Turner Street, was charged with three counts each of possession of child pornography and dissemination of photos or film of child sex acts and one count of criminal use of a communication facility. He was arraigned before District Judge Michael D'Amore on Thursday and sent to Lehigh County Prison under $50,000 bail. According to a criminal complaint: Agents with the Attorney General's Child Predator Unit were investigating Internet sharing of child pornography on Jan. 31 and located a computer that had downloaded three videos containing children engaged in sexual activity.

A Slatington man was charged in a federal indictment Thursday with the possession of child pornography and sending it to others on the Internet. Ivan Capetillo, 44, in July was found to have a cellphone that held images of children engaged in sexually explicit acts, according to the indictment. A further investigation determined he had shipped child pornography online, the indictment says. If convicted of the charges, Capetillo faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

A Schuylkill County man who pleaded guilty to child pornography charges has been sentenced to 20 years in prison and lifetime supervised release. Timothy R. Steward Jr., 39, of the Barnesville section of Rush Township, was sentenced in federal court in Scranton last week on charges of producing child pornography stemming from offenses committed in 2000 and 2011. Steward was indicted by a grand jury on charges he produced pornographic images of a young boy and saved them on various forms of media.

A Kidder Township man is charged with possession of child pornography and having unlawful contact with a minor, police reported. Police arrested Todd Kowar, 45, of the Lake Harmony section of Kidder Township on Tuesday. He was arraigned before District Judge Joseph D. Homanko Sr. in Weatherly and is being held in Carbon County Jail under $1 million bail, Kidder Township police reported. A preliminary hearing on the charges is scheduled 10:30 a.m. Dec. 19. Peter Hall